Has Hindutva failed to get BJP reelected in Karnataka?

Last Updated on June 12, 2023

It hasn’t been a week since Congress won the 2023 Karnataka assembly election with a thumping majority and BJP facing a humiliating defeat. Will BJP run back to its room and lock the door and start crying? or will it come out stronger in the Loksabha election and the 2028 assembly election? In the meantime, Will Congress drown the Karnataka government in the flood of debt to keep its promise of 5 Guarantees? or Will it be able to follow sound fiscal management policy according to FRBM act 2002 – Fiscal Deficit < 3% of GSDP and Total debt < 25% of GSDP?

Only time will tell. We have to wait and watch. But, in this post, I try to answer the question – Has Hindutva failed to get BJP reelected in Karnataka? by looking at the party’s performance in power and its election campaign.

Every political party, mainly BJP, JDS, and Congress, released their manifestos just a week before the election. So, Congress ran its campaign on 5 guarantees, JDS on their Pancharatna Yojanas. But, what was the platform on which BJP ran its election campaign?

I googled it, but I couldn’t find anything. I could only find phrases like Double-engine Sarkar, and Modi’s Achievements like Kissan Samman, and Ayushman Bharath. But, as it rightly says, those are Modi’s achievements – Central Government Schemes. Then, I realized at least the State BJP party could run on its achievements – initiatives, and schemes.

When I googled for State BJP government’s achievements, especially schemes, there was not even one in Google results in the 4 years of BJP in power. My thoughts were – “Neither Yeddiyurappa Nor Bommai launched a new scheme? They might have bought new clothes, new cars or even new properties for themselves, but not a single new scheme for the people of Karnataka? If the government was supposed to run as it was in the previous term without any changes, why should BJP replace the previous government? Why should there even be an election?”

To be fair, Google didn’t even show the initiatives I was aware of like – Namma Clinic and Serving Eggs in Midday Meals. But, I don’t understand why the state BJP government didn’t run their campaigns on these initiatives. Were they not proud of them? I know that there was a scandal associated with serving Eggs. But, What about Namma Clinic? Was there a scandal associated with Namma Clinic too that I am not aware of?

It is not true that BJP didn’t do anything. It embarked upon a historic journey when it came to power. It did let many polarising campaigns and issues escalate or even blow out of proportion. They could be Hijab, Azan, Halal, Boycotting Muslim businessmen and culminating with Uri Gowda and Nange Gowda. Some say BJP started these things or at least some of them as a series of experiments being part of the “Hindutva Laboratory”.

I am not saying the BJP is either corrupt or incompetent…….well, they are if you consider the 40% cut allegations by Santosh Patil, Contract Association president, RUPSA against BJP. But, what political party has no corruption allegation against them? Maybe, some would say… not as much as Karnataka’s BJP is.

It seemed the party didn’t make any attempt to fix their image. They only made it worse by bringing in unpopular changes to the textbooks, removing 4% percent reservations from the Muslim community and ultimately, with a nice climax – Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda. I specifically mention these three things separately because they were the ones ,unlike Hijab, Azan and Halal, that were openly and officially initiated by the BJP government.

If you think about it, it not only not makes sense for keeping social harmony but also politically. When society is already going through or recovering from socially dividing issues like – Hijab, Azan and Halal, Why introduce the 3 things mentioned in the previous paragraph? How much polarization can a society take? Was it politically the right time to take those initiatives? were they not making the situation worse? We can even go further and ask – Did they not backfire BJP in Election?

The party also passed a couple of bills along the lines of Hindutva. The amendment to the Cowslaughter bill to strengthen it received mixed responses. Many say that the law was already strong enough and what was badly needed is well-funded Gaushalas in every District if not taluks. Another one is Anti-conversion Bill. This too, received mixed responses as it now involves the government if one wants to adopt a new religion.

Even during the early days of the campaign, the state BJP party president Nalin Kumar Kateel said in a speech that

So I told them not to talk about roads, gutters, drains and other small issues…. If the issue concerning your children’s lives — love jihad — has to be stopped, then we need the BJP (to form the government)

After this incident, BJP seemed to have learned the lesson because they didn’t touch the subject. In an interview with IndiaToday, when asked about Tippu Sultan, Hijab, and Halal, Bommai says “talk about election issues. Being IndiaToday, talk about today’s issues”. This silence on Hindutva issues remained only until Congress released their manifestos with the word BajrangDal in it.

Has Hindutva completely failed? very difficult to say so. BJP has made inroads in Old Mysuru region by gaining a minimum 5% vote share. On the other hand, it is the same region that rejected Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda, including Sri Nirmalananda Swamiji holding a press meet to not talk about it.

There are many factors at play in winning or losing an election. At the very least, it is safe to say that Hindutva might not be the sole factor for BJP’s crushing defeat but definitely didn’t help them much to win the election.

Congress too before 2018 election tried multiple polarizing elements. It could be getting religious status to Lingayat Community and celebrating Tippu Jayanti. It doesn’t matter whether those issues are good or bad. What matters is – Was it polarizing the society? and did it work in congress’s favor?

The results of 2018 assembly election speak for themselves. Congress went from 122 seats to 80, losing 42 seats, that is losing one in three seats. Congress learned its lessons. That is why this time, in 2023, they focused only on their 5 guarantees and, of course, as any party would, they also focused on the perceived or real failures of the BJP government – 40% Sarkar, Price Rise, Communalism.

This reminds me of a question that many people have asked me- Where does Hindutva end and Communalism begin? I couldn’t answer them because I don’t have an answer from the BJP party officials to the more fundamental question – What is Hindutva? Is it different from Hinduism and how?

This is a big question. If we don’t get official answers, people will simply use Hindutva for their personal and political gain.

If Hindutva is the same as Hinduism or Sanatana Dharma, why didn’t Hindus overwhelmingly vote for BJP? Is Hindutva not a priority for people? Have people been bought into 5 guarantees by Congress, which is not about Hindutva at all?

In the end, you can’t help but wonder – before voting, about Hindutva, maybe people thought –

Isn’t too much of anything bad? ಅತಿಯಾದರೆ ಅಮೃತವೂ ವಿಷ? – too much elixir will also be poison.

If you want to read more about the 2023 Karnataka assembly Elections, checkout the posts – 2023 Karnataka Assembly Election: Public’s perception over Election or Game of Thrones: Missing tickets or decades-long political careers getting killed?